Ten minutes later, Alex neatly organized the test tubes in front of him, looking thoroughly pleased. Meanwhile, everyone else sat slumped in their seats, looking as though they’d just survived a harrowing ordeal. Despite growing up in the wizarding world, none of them could quite wrap their heads around Alex’s strange methods. After all, their parents had always warned them about the dangers of blood being used in dark rituals.
The only reason they’d gone along with it was their trust in Alex. Even so, unease lingered as they tried to make sense of what he’d said earlier. “We’re wizards. Since when do we need to start drawing blood? And anyway, you don’t even have the machines Muggles use for this stuff,” Vivian muttered, still rubbing her arm.
Alex smirked. “Just wait and see.” From his bag, Alex pulled out a peculiar device that looked like a mix between a mirror and a modern electronic scale. The circular, smooth surface in the center gleamed faintly, and two small boxes displayed numbers below. He handed the device to Vivian. “Here. Put your hand on it.”
Vivian eyed him warily. “You’re not going to do something weird again, are you?” After spending the summer watching Alex’s experiments, she had grown increasingly suspicious of his ever-growing collection of odd contraptions.
“Relax,” Alex replied, completely deadpan. “It doesn’t hurt this time.” Vivian hesitated but eventually placed her hand on the device. A faint magical ripple spread across the surface, extending from her palm and washing over her entire body, as though scanning her.
A moment later, a series of numbers appeared on the display. Alex quickly jotted them down before grabbing another tool from his bag. This one resembled a dropper, but with intricate runes etched along its length. He adjusted it a few times before inserting it into the test tube containing Vivian’s blood.
The dropper automatically drew a small amount of blood. Alex then connected it to the device with a thin, shimmering wire. Another number flashed on the display, and Alex’s brow furrowed slightly. “168 Lum,” he muttered. “That’s about the same as a third-year student. Looks like your foundation is pretty weak. You’ll need to work harder this year.”
“Wait, what? What does that even mean?” Vivian asked, her voice rising with alarm. She had a sinking feeling that whatever Alex was about to say wouldn’t be good. Alex held up the device with a triumphant smile. “This is the Magic Measuring Instrument Ver 2, something I just developed. The disc measures the total amount of blood in your body, while the dropper calculates the magical energy contained within a small sample. By combining these measurements, I can calculate your total magical reserves.”
“And what’s with the 168 Lum?” Welen asked, intrigued despite himself.
“‘Lums’ is the unit I’m using to measure magic power,” Alex explained. “The amount of magic needed to cast a basic Lumos spell is one Lum. So, Vivian, your magic reserves are enough to cast Lumos 168 times in a row.”
Vivian’s initial shock gave way to smugness. “Well, that doesn’t sound too bad.”
Alex shot her a pointed look. “You’re in fourth year, but your reserves are only at a third-year level. That’s nothing to brag about.”
Vivian pouted. “Well, what do you expect me to do? It’s not like I can magically increase it overnight.”
“That’s why we’re going to focus on training,” Alex said firmly. He turned to the rest of the group. “You all, too.”
One by one, Alex tested everyone else. The process was identical each time, and by the end, he had a clear picture of their magical reserves. Welen Higgs, with 382 Lums, had the highest reserves among them. Alex noted that he was on track to surpass 700 Lum by seventh year if he kept up his training.
Charles, at 257 Lums, was solidly above average. Wilkes, with 143 Lums, was only slightly behind Vivian, though Alex believed he could surpass her with some effort. David, at just 118 Lums, was clearly held back by his frail physique. After finishing his tests, Alex leaned back with a satisfied expression.
Charles's magic power growth was significant this year, far exceeding the fuzzy measurements from last year. It seemed that after third year, young wizards experienced a notable surge in magical power. David’s magic level was more typical for a second-year student. But judging from David’s numbers, his potential was unmatched. With proper training, David might even surpass Charles in two years.
The new measuring instrument was a game-changer, paving the way for smoother training experiments. By observing the magic power growth curve across ages, physical conditioning, sensitivity exercises, willpower drills, and energy intake, Alex could analyze how these factors affected the efficiency of magical power amplification through group experiments. He glanced at his own mana value—418 Lums. "Seems like eating magical creature meat does work wonders," Alex muttered to himself.
He scanned the group of students nearby with the clinical gaze of someone evaluating test subjects. His eyes lingered on Vivian for a moment, an idea forming in his mind about the group tests. Welen, who was close to adulthood, wouldn’t benefit much from laying foundational work anymore, so Alex decided he’d focus on advanced combat tactics for him.
As for the group training plan. David would tackle independent physical training. Wilkes would specialize in sensitivity exercises. Charles would be pushed to hone his willpower through challenging activities. Vivian? Since she always complained about hardships, Alex smirked to himself. “You’ll eat nothing but magical creature meat for a month. Let’s see how that affects your growth.”
Each month, they’d rotate tasks and eventually dive into multi-discipline cross-training. Alex was determined to uncover a pattern in their development. The thought made him chuckle darkly. “Hehe,” he laughed under his breath, the sound sending shivers down the spines of the students
A new school year began at Hogwarts. For Alex, it was just another year, but for the other students, the summer break had been unforgettable. From the moment the entrance ceremony began, nearly everyone—both old and new students—seemed to have their eyes fixed on Alex. This boy, who had previously blended into the background so well he’d earned the nickname “Ghost of Slytherin,” was now a hero whose name was on everyone’s lips.
This was particularly true for the Slytherins, especially the pure-blood wizards. Many of them had been blackmailed by Alex in the past and were still trying to find ways to deal with him. But now, he was suddenly a celebrated figure. For them, it was like being trapped in a nightmare they couldn’t wake up from. Alex, however, paid no attention to the stares or whispers. His focus was entirely on his research. Once he returned to the common room, he headed straight to his dormitory, leaving no chance for anyone to strike up a conversation.